Staff

Rabbi Jonah Rank

President & Rosh Yeshivah​

Rabbirank@hebrewseminary.org

Rabbi Rank began serving Hebrew Seminary in July of 2022. Rabbi Rank holds a MA in Jewish Thought from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he was ordained in 2015. Rabbi Rank has been involved in Jewish education in a variety of capacities, including as a Community Educator during the summers of 2011-2013 at BIMA, the Brandeis Institute for Music & Arts teacher; and a middle school Judaics teacher at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Manhattan. In Halifax, Nova Scotia, Rabbi Rank served as the Maskil (“Teacher-of-Tradition”) at the Shaar Shalom Synagogue, during which time Rabbi Rank initiated the annual Halifax Communal Beit Midrash, and partnered with the community’s Education Committee to revitalize the Halifax Joint Hebrew School. Following his family’s return to the U.S, he became the Director of the Shul School at Kehilat HaNahar in New Hope, Pennsylvania. While managing the supplementary school, Rabbi Rank co-led a Virtual Youth Arts Beit Midrash serving youth across five states, designed a virtual reality Purim carnival, and created curricular materials for young Jews to engage with Jewish notions of responsibility towards marginalized communities and to the planet. Rabbi Rank has authored several academic articles, served as the Managing Editor of Zeramim: An Online Journal of Applied Jewish Studies, and is currently editing Siddur Kanfey HaShekhinah, a forthcoming traditional Ashkenazi Hebrew prayer book, where the language referring to God follows feminine grammar. An advocate for civic causes, Rabbi Rank was appointed in 2021 to the Environmental Advisory Council in the Township of Lower Makefield, Pennsylvania, and contributed to local efforts towards increasing access to public recycling and clean energy there until his family moved to Natick, Massachusetts.

Rabbi Shari Chen

Dean of Students and Professor of Hebrew Language

Rabbichen@hebrewseminary.org

Rabbi Chen is the Dean of Students at Hebrew Seminary. Previously, she served as the Executive Director of Hebrew Seminary and as the Director of the Congregation Bene Shalom Religious School for over 15 years. She was ordained at Hebrew Seminary in 2005 and since then until his passing worked closely with Rabbi Douglas Goldhamer as Associate Rabbi of Congregation Bene Shalom. She continues to perform life cycle events and to participate in healing prayer. She served as a hospice chaplain and participated in interfaith worship services at Sedgebrook Communities. Rabbi Chen has lectured at the Bernard Horwich JCC and led workshops at the Chicago Association for Young Children’s Education. Rabbi Chen taught B’nai Mitzvah students and adult Hebrew classes at Bene Shalom, alongside a variety of other classes and webinars. She has been on the faculty at Hebrew Seminary since 2013.

Becky Adelberg (she/her)

Director of Marketing and Development

Badelberg@hebrewseminary.org
Becky is responsible for programming, partnerships, marketing, fundraising and alumni relations. Her experience involves conceptualizing and executing large community events, overseeing educational and social programming, leadership development, travel abroad and entrepreneurship programs. She is also the Founder of Community Connect Consulting, the Associate Director of Engagement for Reboot, and a voice-over artist.

Grey von Trapp, MA, PMC (he/him)

Administrative Coordinator

gvon@hebrewseminary.org

Greyson “Grey” von Trapp is a new Chicago transplant from Texas, where he recently completed his Master of Arts in Dance with a Post-Master’s Certificate in Multicultural Women’s and Gender Studies. He brings several years of administrative experience from his time as a supervisor and graduate assistant at his alma mater, Texas Woman’s University. At the seminary, Grey designs systems for organizing and optimizing workplace operations in a way that is practicable, accessible, and easily maintainable; as well as attending to various clerical, secretarial, and general administrative needs. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Performance Studies at The University of Texas at Austin.

“At Hebrew Seminary, I was taught 'how to learn' from wise and wonderful teachers while I was supported and learned from my dear chevruta (study partner) and classmates. I learned how to access our beloved Rabbinic texts in order to learn from our sages over the centuries. It was a taste of the olam haba (the world to come).”
Rabbi Marcey Rosenbaum
Rabbi Marcey RosenbaumHebrew Seminary Ordinee, Chaplain at Rush University
“Hebrew Seminary’s approach was truly a blessing to me, to begin to understand that there was no single monolithic way to be or to do Jewish, and what that might mean in my own life and personal practice.”
Rabbi Dena Bodian
Rabbi Dena BodianHebrew Seminary Ordinee, College Chaplain and Campus Rabbi of Wellesley College
“The signing has inspired me to become the woman I am today. I chose Hebrew Seminary as my rabbinic school because I never have to worry about an interpreter, classes are modified based on one’s needs and it’s an all inclusive place regardless of what abilities you have.”
Pararabbi Sari Daybook
Pararabbi Sari DaybookHebrew Seminary Graduate and Faculty
“One of the best things about Hebrew Seminary was that we didn’t just study mysticism; we practiced it. Rabbi Goldhamer had us doing meditations and healing prayer in class. Nothing beats that kind of real experience. There were other top notch teachers as well whose fantastic teachings and perspectives still inform me today.”
Rabbi Menachem Cohen
Rabbi Menachem CohenHebrew Seminary Ordinee, Spiritual Director of Makom Shalom Mitziut
“My rabbinic cohort is comprised of Jews of Color, LGBTQ+ Jews, Deaf Jews, Jews in interfaith/multicultural relationships, people who’ve previously been told that we don’t belong in Jewish communities, let alone deserve to lead them. Instead of sticking to that narrative, Hebrew Seminary is empowering us to learn from our people’s past and create a more just and inclusive Jewish future.”
Ezra Kiers
Ezra Kiers Hebrew Seminary Rabbinical Student
"I wanted a school that had an innate spiritual approach to Judaism, and I found it. The things I want to accomplish in the rabbinate require training through a diversity-centered lens; as soon as I was exposed to the pedagogy that allowed me to tap into the world of the mystic, ASL, and deaf culture and modern approaches to the trends of Jewish life, I knew that this school fit my niche interests. Hebrew Seminary has been the calm in my storm. I'm motivated by learning to be exactly who I am here and much more."
Cohen Kraus
Cohen KrausHebrew Seminary Rabbinical Student
"As someone coming to the rabbinate as a second career, I really struggled to find a seminary that felt right. Hebrew Seminary’s student-centered approach, legacy of Deaf and disabled accessibility, and inclusive values have created an environment where I can learn effectively and develop the skills I will need to serve the Jewish people in a rapidly changing world. I love that my learning objectives and needs feel prioritized by the excellent faculty, without sacrificing career preparedness."
Leah Ariel Ruzkowski
Leah Ariel RuzkowskiHebrew Seminary Rabbinical Student
“I remember that morning of the interview. It’s etched in my memory. I also remember the Rosh Yeshivah of Hebrew Seminary asking me if I wanted to become a rabbi. I thought for a brief moment and closed my eyes only to see myself standing at Mt. Sinai. Then I answered, 'We were all standing on Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah.' Dr. Goldhamer would become my mentor and teacher, especially in mysticism and Kabbalah, my favorite subject, a subject I continue to study to this very day.”
Rabbi Tirtzah Israel
Rabbi Tirtzah IsraelHebrew Seminary Ordinee, Hebrew Seminary Faculty

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